Nick Cannon Interview

What are some things that you like to do for fun when you're away from doing the whole celebrity thing?

Nick Cannon: Sit in bed and watch DVDs, and eat candy and popcorn.

Fans of Mariah Carey only get to see her on stage, in music videos and in interviews. You've gotten to know her as a complete person. What can you tell us about the real Mariah Carey?

NC: She's probably the funniest person in the world, and I don't say that about a lot of people cause, as a comedian, it's kind of tough to make me laugh, but she just keeps me rolling, like all day long. Her sense of humor and her wit is just -- her comedic timing, all of it is just impeccable. She just is a jokester. She loves comedies, you know what I mean? Like, we sit around quoting Eddie Murphy movies from the '80s. She is one of those type of people, you'd never expect her to be so funny and so comedically brilliant. Like on America's Got Talent, when just out of nowhere, she pinched me on my ass as we're walking off the stage. Stuff like that where it's just -- it's a comedian's mind, really.

What words of advice would you pass along to like a future son or daughter if they told you they wanted to get into show business?

NC: I'd say go for what you know. Go hard or go home. Give it your all at whatever they want to do -- whether it's entertainment or whatever it is -- just giving your all and just believing in yourself more than anything.

Is that the kind of advice that you've been following yourself, obviously?

NC: Absolutely. Just speak yourself into existence. Whatever you want, speak it. You can see it.

You wear a lot of hats professionally. You've done your stand-up, you've done your music producing, acting, hosting. Have you ever found it to be difficult to be taken seriously by the industry because you do a lot of those things or do you feel like it gives you an edge?

NC: I don't even think about that type of stuff. I just do it. I just work -- however people feel about it, I mean, at the end of the day, if I'm waiting for accolades, I could be waiting all my life, but I don't need that stuff to validate me. I just do what makes me happy. I have [accolades]. However people feel about my acting, I won awards at Sundance, at the Cannes Film Festival. However people feel about my music, I've won awards for that, too. I don't really get caught up in all of that stuff, cause I just do it as an art -- I do it for love. I don't do it for validation.

So, in a way, for you happiness and the love of the art is what gives you your own personal validation?

NC: Absolutely, and especially like even now, I'm at a point in my career where it's not even about me anymore. I'm really trying to create opportunities and art for others. Like I want to see others reach their goals and dreams. I'm trying to discover new talent and put together new projects where other people can take the game over instead. I don't know. I'm not really into being a star anymore.

Which of all of your areas of expertise do you want to concentrate on at this point now in your career?

NC: I mean, right now, like I said -- I'll take the stuff like being in front of the camera. I guess it works, but I'm more concerned about being the best businessman I can be and being the best music producer I can be. I'm the youngest television chairman in television history for Viacom's teen network called TeenNick, so to be able to do that, to be able to know how to run a corporation properly, run my record label properly, that's the stuff that's most important to me right now.